More likely are the theories conceived by Ignatius II Paternò Castello, [10] Santi Consoli, [11] and Matteo Gaudioso. [12] The former claimed that the elephant came from a circus (it would later be ascertained that it was actually the obelisk that had been among the attractions of an ancient circus), the latter two that it was a reminder of a religion whose traces are now completely lost. Spina, Santo Daniele. Memorie e Rendiconti dell'Accademia di Scienze lettere e belle arti degli Zelanti e dei Dafnic. Acireale: Stab. tip. Galatea, 1958. p.251. The mysterious elephant was a symbol of the city long before it was officially put on the map. During the 9th through 11th-century Muslim rule of Sicily, Catania was known in Arabic as Madinat al-fīl, “The City of the Elephant,” hinting at the existence of u Liotru prior to al-Idrisi’s 12th-century description. A folktale regarding the elephant is set even earlier, in eighth-century Byzantine Catania. It describes a Catanese nobleman named Heliodorus (from whom the name Liotru might have derived), who turned to necromancy after losing a bid to become bishop of Catania to a certain Leo (later sainted as St. Leo Thaumaturgus, or “The Wonderworker”). The connection between Catania and the liotru is very ancient. An ancient legend tells of an elephant that allegedly hunted ferocious animals during the founding of Kατάvη. [16] Under Muslim rule, the city was known as Balad-el-fil or Medinat-el-fil, meaning "city of the elephant."

a b c Farrell, Joseph (2014). Sicily: A Cultural History. Interlink Publishing. The Second City: Catania. ISBN 978-1-62371-050-7.Houël, Jean-Pierre (1782–1787). Voyage Pittoresque Des Isles de Sicile, de Malte Et de Lipari. 4. Paris. p.48. There is no certain data on when and by whom the elephant statue was made. Over the centuries, various scholars have tried to answer this question, in some cases even drawing on myth. The latter include Pietro Carrera, who wrote in 1639 that the liotru commemorated a victory in a war between the Catanese and the Libyans. [9] However, the story, which the painter Giuseppe Sciuti immortalized in the great historical curtain of the Teatro Massimo Bellini, is totally fictional.

There were two restorations carried out during the 20th century: in 1905 a second pool was built, and in 1998 the gate and garden were removed so that today it is possible to sit on some steps at the foot of the base. [5] U Liotru [ edit ] The fountain The myth [ edit ] The plinth consists of a white marble pedestal located in the center of a basin, also made of marble, into which jets of water fall and spout from the plinth. On the plinth two sculptures reproduce the two rivers of Catania, the Simeto and the Amenano. Above is the statue of the elephant, its proboscis facing the cathedral of St. Agatha, patron saint of Catania. [1]

Amari, Michele (1933). Storia dei Musulmani di Sicilia vol. I. Catania. pp.344–345. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) Consoli, Santi (1924). Sicilia gloriosa. Catania. p.119. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)